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All the news for Saturday 18 August 2018

Hockey Series Open - Port Vila 2018 (Men) - Finals
Port Vila (VAN)

Results 18 August

3/4 playoff SOL v TGA     4 - 0   
1/2 Playoff VAN v FIJ     6 - 4

Final standings

1. Vanuatu
2. Fiji
3. Solomon Islands
4. Tonga

Hockey Series Open - Port Vila 2018 (Women) - Finals
Port Vila (VAN)

Results 18 August

3/4 Playoff SOL v TGA     4 - 1   
1/2 Playoff FIJ v VAN     3 - 2

Final standings

1. Fiji
2. Vanuatu
3. Solomon Islands
4. Tonga

FIH Match Centre

Indian men's team thrash Bangladesh in hockey warm-up game


Asian Games 2018 , Twitter

The Indian men's hockey team crushed Bangladesh 7-1 in a practice match here today to enter the 18th Asian Games on a confident note.

India are the defending champions, having won gold in the 2014 edition at Incheon, South Korea, and chief coach Harendra Singh and skipper PR Sreejesh have already expressed their desire to win a second successive yellow metal.

A win here will secure them qualification to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and act as a morale booster ahead of the year-end World Cup at home, where Harendra is eyeing a podium.

"In the last couple of years, we have proved to the world that India is back on the hockey map. We are number five in the world but by the end of the year we want to be in top 3 in the world," Harendra had said.

While there was plenty to cheer about on the field, the situation was not exactly the same off it for Sreejesh, who is worried about the unprecedented flood in his native Kerala.

The situation in Kerala remains precarious with water levels still rising dangerously in many rivers and people stranded in many areas waiting for help to arrive.

Despite the grim situation back home, the seasoned goalkeeper put up a brave face as he focused on the job at hand.

Daily News & Analysis

Putting the game and team above all else

Sreejesh and Sunil perturbed at the flood situation back home but focused on task at hand

Uthra Ganesan


Putting up a brave smile: P.R. Sreejesh, left, and S.V. Sunil are concentrating on doing well . 

He laughed, screamed, swore and celebrated with his teammates for the entire duration of India’s practice match against Bangladesh here on Friday.

P.R. Sreejesh — captain of the Indian hockey team, one of its biggest stars and the eternal prankster of the side — did not give any indication of the emotions he was going through for more than two hours the team was on the pitch at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

With his in-laws’ place in Idukki inundated and people forced to move to higher ground, his own home in Ernakulam barely surviving and means of communication reducing with each passing day, the disaster wrought by rains in Kerala has been on his mind ever since the team landed here. Teammate S.V. Sunil, who belongs to Madikeri in Coorg district, is also affected.

“The only reason we are able to still communicate is because most of the people back home are using those old phones that had monster batteries. Even then, they are forced to resort to drastic measures to conserve batteries,” Sreejesh told The Hindu.

It was one of the rare times when Kerala’s sporting icon let his concern come through on his face. The livewire of the team was thankful his own home was safe but admitted it was getting worse.

“Kisaan ka ghar hai, hamara kya jayega. But even we are resorting to rationing now and trying to help as many people around as possible. I am most worried about my kids, that is the only time I get scared,” he admitted.

Big responsibility

Sunil is even more worried since he is the eldest sibling in the family and has been responsible solely for taking care of his family all these years, making him even more protective. His brother’s family is stuck in the village and Sunil has not been able to talk to them for the last three days.

“There was a power cut for 24 hours two days back and since then, it has been so erratic and intermittent that there has been no way to communicate. The phones are running out of power, the resources are running out, people are saying it will continue to rain for another week and I, sitting here, have no way to even know what is happening to them,” Sunil revealed.

So how do the two manage to stay focused on the field? “For me, this unit here is far more important. On field, there is nothing other than the team and hockey. Nothing can affect that focus,” Sreejesh insisted. “No concentrations issues here. Team, result, game, that’s it. I can think of my family for 22 hours; the other two belong to the team 100%,” Sunil added.

If commitment alone could win medals, these two have already assured a gold for the Indian hockey team.

The Hindu

Pakistan the most successful hockey team at Asian Games

JAKARTA: Pakistan’s medal tally in 15 hockey tournaments of the Asian Games is eight gold, three silver and three bronze – hockey was not included in the first two Asiads, in 1951 and 1954.

From 1958 to 1990, Pakistan claimed seven gold and two silver in nine consecutive Asian Games, a remarkable sequence. This included four consecutive golds from 1970 to 1982.

But in the next four Asian Games, Pakistan failed to reach even the final. In 1994, 1998 and 2006, Pakistan were third.

In 2002 Pakistan failed to climb on to the podium, losing to Malaysia in the bronze medal play-off.

In 2010, the Green-shirts regained the gold after 20 years. The first place also gave them an automatic qualification for the 2012 Olympics.

At the last Asian Games, in 2014, Pakistan again managed to reach the final where they met India. Pakistan had defeated India in the pool match. The final was an exciting game between the two traditional rivals. It was 1-1 after the regular time. However, Pakistan went down in the shootout. Thus, they lost the chance to get an automatic qualification for the Olympics.

Eventually, Pakistan failed to qualify for the Olympics – for the first time ever.

This year again, along with the coveted gold there is the added incentive of direct 2020 Olympics qualification.

Pakistan’s highest tally in a single tournament is 42 goals in 1990 – with five goals against. Pakistan’s biggest victory is 17-0 against Bangladesh in 1978 which is also the Asian Games record.

The Daily Times

A day of delight for Dragons, Elephants and Rafters
 

Julian Hykes (Addo Elephants) runs with ball past Courtney Halle (Mapungubwe Mambas) at the 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League – Photo: Sean Burke / PHL

Day 4 of the South African 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League produced another 20 goals as the Addo Elephants and Orange River Rafters both continued to progress undefeated in the tournament. The Drakensberg Dragons inflicted the Cavemen to their heaviest defeat in PHL history, the Gazelles turned the Men’s tournament on its head and it’s a tether of hope for the Daisies with their shootout victory over the Wings.

The Orange River Rafters became the first team to confirm their place in the semi-finals of the 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League with a tactical victory over the St. Lucia Lakers. The only two undefeated teams played out an enthralling battle for supremacy and it was the defending champions who landed the knockout punch in the titanic clash.


Casey-Jean Botha (Orange River Rafters) evades the attention of Erin Hunter (St. Lucia Lakers) at the 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League – Photo: Sean Burke / PHL

The only goal of the incredibly tight battle was settled by a Casey-Jean Botha field goal in the 35th minute that left Shaun Hulley’s team with a perfect record of 4 wins from 4 games and a place in the final four.

The Men’s tournament was thrown wide open in the bottom half as the Garden Route Gazelles fought back into contention with an entertaining and high scoring 5-3 victory over the Golden Gate Gladiators. The Gazelles had not tasted victory in 2018 so far but they went about correcting that in the best way possible. Their first half performance was breathless at times and Brandon James got his first goal of the tournament with an easy tap-in. He got his second for the Gazelles 10 minutes later with a fine finish past Duncan Fischer after great work from Taine Paton. Michael Abrahams made it 3 and had the Gazelles dreaming of the bonus point on the verge of half time, but a bullet from Sam Mvimbi allowed the Gladiators to take some momentum into the half-time break.


Gerald Mpopo (Garden Route Gazelles) protects the ball from Mark Chong (Golden Gate Gladiators) at the 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League – Photo: Sean Burke / PHL

They took this momentum further in the second half when Bradley Sherwood fired in a fantastic penalty corner to make it 3-2. As both teams looked for the games next goal it would arrive in a pair. Taine Paton and Keenan Horne scored almost carbon copy goals to re-establish the bonus point lead for the Gazelles. Their goals were split by 40 seconds either side of the end of the third quarter.

Although they would lose the game, the Gladiators did score what could be one of the more significant goals of the tournament. With time out on the clock the Gladiators won a penalty corner which Brad Sherwood dispatched like a seasoned veteran. The goal denied the Gazelles the bonus point and importantly kept the table incredibly tight in a search for a final four position.

The Maropeng Cavemen will in all likelihood make the semi-final, but they were on the end of their biggest defeat in PHL history when the Drakensberg Dragons, the 2017 runners-up, absolutely annihilated them in a brutal 6-1 victory. This is the second defeat in succession for the defending champions who will have a lot more questions to answer ahead of their final group game of the tournament on the weekend.

For the Dragons it was six different goal scorers with Bili Ntuli’s finish a highlight as he scooped the ball past national keeper Rassie Pieterse, while Jethro Eustice penalty corner was reminiscent of the one that qualified South Africa for the FIH Hockey World Cup. The performance of SA U18 star Peter Jarvis was a highlight and rightfully was awarded man of the match for the Dragons.


Winchester Scott (Mapungubwe Mambas) and Miguel da Graca (Addo Elephants) fight for the ball during the 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League – Photo: Sean Burke / PHL

The Addo Elephants surged to the top of the Men’s table in the 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League this morning when they opened the day with a come from behind victory against the Mapungubwe Mambas. Having trailed 1-0 to a Ross Gonzalves goal, the Elephants came straight back through a sliding deflection by Tim Guise-Brown after superb work by Andrew Manson.

The Elephants would go ahead in the 40th minute through Ignatius Malgraff, netting his 10th career Premier Hockey League goal, the all-time leading scorer in the tournament.  That goal was enough to secure a third consecutive victory for the 2016 runners-up and all but mathematically they are through to the semi-finals.

The days final game was the basement battle between the Wineland Wings and the Namaqualand Daisies. The Wings were largely in control of the game in the first half, creating multiple chances and winning multiple penalty corners. After having a goal disallowed through referral they finally managed to break the deadlock through Jess Lardant.

The Daisies produced a much better second half and found themselves back on parity through a Toni Marks opportunistic finish. Although the Wings still created more circle entries and goal scoring opportunities, they could not finish, and the game went to the shootout. The Wings record from the previous years at shootouts read as played 6 lost 6. That record now reads 7 shootout defeats from 7 as Natalie Esteves the captain of the Daisies scored the winning goal that kept the Daisies hopes alive and virtually eliminated the Wineland Wings from the 2018 CTM Premier Hockey League.

CTM PHL Day 4

Friday 17 August

08:00 – Men – Elf Laminates Mapungubwe Mambas 1-2 Kilimanjaro Addo Elephants
10:00 – Men – Old Mutual iWyze Golden Gate Gladiators 3-5 Garden Route Gazelles
12:00 – Women – Italtile Orange River Rafters 1-0 Private Property St. Lucia Lakers
14:00 – Men – Origins Maropeng Cavemen 1-6 Pro Grip Drakensberg Dragons
16:00 – Women – Old Mutual iWyze Namaqualand Daisies 1-1 Ceramic Industries Wineland Wings

SA Hockey Association media release

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Kampong and Den Bosch to contest ABN AMRO Cup semis


©: World Sport Pics

AH&BC Amsterdam, Rotterdam, SV Kampong and Den Bosch have all advanced to the semi-finals of the ABN AMRO Cup following Thursday night’s regional group games.

Amsterdam won two close-fought matches in their group, starting off with a 1-0 win over HC Bloemendaal courtesy of Mirco Pruijser. Bloemendaal handed debuts to Maurits Visser, Jorrit Croon, Ingwer Wiese and Arthur van Doren while Amsterdam welcomed Rik van Kan and Wiegert Schut.

Amsterdam followed up with a 2-1 success against Pinoke thanks to Justin Reid-Ross’s corner goal and another Pruijser goal.

In Victoria, Rotterdam were the most comfortable winners with a 4-1 win to start off against HGC and they followed up with a 3-0 victory over Klein Zwitserland.

Kampong won through with 2-0 wins over both SCHC and Almere, Martijn Havenga getting both the goals in the latter game.

At MOP, group three was the only group to go down to the final game. Den Bosch beat Oranje Rood 2-1 with Jelle Galema scoring the winning goal against the club he moved from during the summer, Joaquin Menini getting the other.

Oranje-Rood’s 2-1 win over Tilburg meant the group was down for decision in the final game where Den Bosch prevailed 2-0 against Tilburg.

It sets up Saturday’s semi-finals at Rotterdam where Amsterdam face Den Bosch at 1pm and Kampong will play the hosts at 3pm, battling for a place in Sunday’s final.

Euro Hockey League media release

Hager furore adds to growing list of coaching controversies

By David Leggat


Coach Mark Hager hasn't spoken since the email and subsequent fallout emerged. Photo / Photosport

A conversation with Black Sticks women's coach Mark Hager came to mind this week as he found himself in a hole of his own digging.

It was another reminder of the dangers of email. One fat finger slip and the sender can slip into a world of woe.

A few seasons ago, the Black Sticks had turned in a stinker of a performance, one of those which had little to commend it. Hager let rip to this writer, who heartily agreed with all his forceful sentiments.

Then after a minute or two, he paused and pointed out, just in case the inquirer was licking his lips at the prospect of a juicy exclusive morsel or three, he wasn't speaking out of school. The players knew exactly what he was saying because he'd already told them in the changing room. No surprises, then, when they picked up the paper, or looked at the website the next day.

Monday's meeting between Hockey New Zealand and the sport's players' association would be an interesting gathering for any passing flies paused on the walls.

HNZ broadly supported Hager yesterday but what matters is how widespread the hurt is at the wording in his email, which inadvertently reached his players just before a key World Cup game in London last month.

Hager is a tough taskmaster, no question, and New Zealand rose to No 4 in the world rankings while he had strong-minded and respected, experienced players such as Kayla Whitelock and Emily Gaddum at his disposal.

They and their teammates of the 2010-16 period were utterly determined to be the best they could and he has kept them relevant in the world game.

They reached the World League Final in Auckland last year and won the Commonwealth Games title for the first time on the Gold Coast in April. They mightn't always have liked his message but they respected it.

Hager hasn't spoken since the email and subsequent fallout emerged. The email was a major error, no doubt. But there's something fishy in this.

Have certain people settled on this as a way to remove a coach who has made life tough for them, or whose approach they don't like? If so, serious shame on them.

A person with considerable knowledge of the situation confirmed Hager is upset at the allegations, while putting his hands up to the email snafu.

This isn't a good time for New Zealand sport as a whole. This is the fourth sport to have run into coach-athlete issues in less than four months. Cycling, football, rowing and now hockey have found themselves in an uncomfortable position. So what's going on?

Then there's their over-arching body, High Performance Sport New Zealand, who are facing the prospect of job losses and role revision as part of a fine tuning of their positions.

No one from that organisation was available to speak to the Weekend Herald yesterday on two issues: how it viewed the hockey issue, and if it had any concerns over the topic of men coaching women's sports teams or individuals, something which has relevance to at least three of the four sports under the spotlight.

It didn't want to discuss the hockey question before Monday's meeting.

On the latter, it responded: "We believe success in high performance sport requires the very best coaches working with the best athletes."

The New Zealand Herald

Hockey NZ boss surprised by goalkeeper's TV claims

By David Leggat


Former goalkeeper Amelia Gibson voiced her concerns to both main television channels on Thursday night. Photo / Photosport

Hockey New Zealand bosses maintain they have not received an official complaint over the culture within the Black Sticks women's squad.

The issue surfaced this week in the wake of an email written by coach Mark Hager, critical of several players and which was intended for one pair of eyes in the support group but found its way to all players during the World Cup squad in London last month.

They received it shortly before their pivotal match against Japan, a game they were expected to win, given their fourth ranking compared to Japan's 12th.

Instead Japan won 2-1, a result which contributed significantly to New Zealand spiralling out of the tournament without even making the quarter-finals. Whether that email contributed to a poor display on the field can't be stated categorically, but it cannot have helped the mood in the camp.

The upshot is they have slipped from fourth to sixth on the world rankings and are now embroiled in a developing skirmish over events within the group.

Former goalkeeper Amelia Gibson voiced her concerns to both main television channels on Thursday night and HNZ will meet the sports players association on Monday to try and clear the air.

HNZ chief executive Ian Francis admitted he was "a little surprised" to see Gibson, who played 63 internationals until last year, appearing on television.

"Amelia last year made a complaint which was fully investigated and the matter was closed between both parties," Francis said. "No further actions were put in place as a result of that."

It appears there are two divergent camps within the Black Sticks squad - those who want to move on, and those who believe things need to change within the culture of the group.

Francis said Hager had acted swiftly when his email became public, apologised to the team, collectively and individually, and accepted full responsibility.

For all HNZ's insistence that they've had no red flags raised by players, that doesn't mean the players association haven't been made aware of concerns from other players. That is one aspect HNZ want to explore with the players association on Monday.

Former Australian star striker Hager, who is in his 10th year as national women's coach, is contracted until the end of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. He has been silent this week.

Francis said he has spoken to Hager "regularly" and "he has our support" but would not outline how the coach was handling the speculation.

"But it's safe to say it's been a tough week for the whole organisation."

Francis said the need was to "balance athletes' welfare with employees' rights". We've put a number of processes in place post Rio [Olympics in 2016], around support for the team.

"We are tracking in the right direction. We have some amazing athletes and coaches and have achieved some great success."

Where HNZ may be worried is the reference from players association executive manager Glen Sulzberger that they offered players the chance to make contact and discuss the issue and "a number of players have, past and present".

Sulzberger said it wasn't a case of demanding Hager's head; nor had there been any talk along those lines. It was more trying to ensure processes are in place moving forward.

"We don't have any pre-conceived ideas what we want to get out of the meeting. But we want to collaborate with HNZ on any potential solutions or if there is a need for adjustment in the environment," said Sulzberger.

No one from HPSNZ would talk about the issue yesterday, or the wider aspect of a fourth major sport now battling coach-athlete issues, after cycling sprint coach Anthony Peden's resignation in May amid claims of bullying, drinking and inappropriate relations with an athlete; New Zealand Football's drama over departed women's national team coach Andreas Heraf; and rowing's high performance boss Alan Cotter's shock resignation.

The New Zealand Herald

When we mastered the masters

As 'Gold' makes it to theatres, Balbir Singh (Sr) relives the memories of 1948 Olympics when the Indian hockey team routed Great Britain in the final

Vijay Lokapally


FINISHING TOUCH: Balbir Singh attacking the Great Britain goal during the Olympic final at Wembley Stadium in London 

Indian hockey is symbolised by two iconic names – Dhyan Chand and Balbir Singh (Sr). Dhyan Chand, winner of the gold in 1928, 1932 and 1936, is remembered every year when August 29, his birthday, is celebrated as the National Sports Day.

Balbir too won the gold thrice in succession – 1948, 1952 and 1956. The nation reaches out to him whenever the Indian team excels in world hockey.

Sadly, the career of neither has been captured in the form of a documentary or a feature film. Suddenly the focus is on hockey, and Balbir, because Gold, starring Akshay Kumar in the lead role, hits the screens nationwide today, bringing to this generation of youngsters the story of India’s epic triumphs at the London Olympics in 1948.

India was not even one year old when the team, led by Kishan Lal, stood under the National Flag at the majestic Wembley Stadium, celebrating the country’s domination in hockey. Often referred to as the national game of India, hockey has lost much of its sheen and glamour to cricket, badminton, and tennis even though it has been kept alive by the sustained efforts of the government.


India's first Governor General, C. Rajgopalachari, shakes hands with Singh on the team's return 

In my many interactions with Balbir, the last one in March, he has never failed to undertake an emotional trip to London 1948, recalling some stirring moments. “The flag. My eyes still become moist when I remember that glorious day when we beat England in the final. We had mastered our masters.”

The team, with a ‘royal’ allowance of five rupees a day, flew to London with the wishes of the country and took the sea route – 26 days on the water – after becoming the champion. “It was as if the entire country had come to welcome us,” Balbir mumbles.

His frail frame today reflects the state of the game in the country – the last Olympic gold had come at Moscow in the depleted Games of 1980. His memory, however, has remained sharp, as he recalls the moves that brought India the four goals.

The London Olympics, with the city still recovering from the ravages of the World War, were the first to be televised and was also known for its austerity. But India returned rich, wearing the hockey crown.

The final was played on a slushy field – those were days when the game was contested on natural grass – but India found ways to tackle the challenge. At one stage, Kishan Lal and KD Singh Babu played barefoot.

Balbir says the team was received at the airport by Sir John Bennett, a police officer known to him. “You can’t afford to wait for the ball. You will have to go for it and move with it,” Sir John had advised. Balbir acknowledges that priceless piece of counsel.

The England captain Norman Borrett was quoted, “I did not think they were going to have such a victory on the ground so unsuited to their play. But tonight showed how magnificent they are under any condition.”

The team was feted on its return by the bigwigs of the nation – President Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Balbir was the only player from Punjab in that team which drew seven members from Bombay. Flamboyant hockey characterised the team, which had two managers – Pankaj Gupta and AC Chatterji.

The victorious Olympic team played a match at the National Stadium where Balbir scored the lone goal. Nehru was among the audience and reportedly backed the idea of an Asian Games. Delhi hosted it at the same venue three years later but hockey did not find a place in the schedule.

For Balbir, the memories of the 1948 win, relived in Gold, are unforgettable prizes from his career. And of course, the privilege to meet Prime Minister Nehru without “appointment.”

The 1948 Indian team: Kishan Lal (captain), Ranganathan Francis, Leo Pinto, Walter D’Souza, Tarlochan Singh Bawa, Akhtar Hussain, Randhir Singh Gentle, Kunwar Digvijay Singh ‘Babu’, Keshav Dutt, Amir Kumar, Maxie Vaz, Leslie Claudius, Balbir Singh, Patrick Jansen, Latifur Rehman, Lawrie Fernandes, Gerald Glacken, Reginald Rodrigues, Grahanandan Singh, Jaswant Singh Rajput.

Blend of fact and fiction



Akshay Kumar, who plays Tapan Das, the enthusiastic manager of the Indian hockey team, in the Reema Kagti film, says Gold is not a biopic. “The characters and incidents are a blend of fact and fiction but the basic premise has been taken from real events.”

“Covering a time period between 1936 and 1948, it has a patriotic undertone but it relies on cinematic moments and doesn’t get preachy.” Akshay admits he did not play hockey during his growing up days. “But I used to follow the game during the Asian games and the Olympics. Things are changing as we are getting medals in big events. And I am happy that there is a shift towards sports-based dramas like Sultan, Dangal and Soorma. For me, every game is a national game.”

On playing a Bengali character, Akshay says as an actor, one just has to make a character sketch in the head. “I got the accent easily as I worked in Bengal for two years.” He quips that he got into the character once he wore a really long dhoti. “50 to 60 % of work is done when you are in the character's attire and hairstyle. I realised it when I played a sardar in Singh is King.”

The Hindu

Olympics hockey gold winner Subedar Hardayal Singh passes away

Chandigarh: Former India hockey player and coach Hardayal Singh, a member of the team that won the gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, died at age 90 in Dehradun.

After his playing days were over, Singh  became a coach and was in-charge of the national team from 1983 to 1987. He was bestowed with the prestigious Dhyanchand Award for lifetime achievement in sports in 2004. Singh had been hailed as the senior-most hockey coach in Uttarakhand, and he had been living in the region from well before the creation of the state.

In an interview a few years ago, Singh said that he had been working with the Survey of India in Dehradun when, on a well-wisher’s advice, he decided to join the Army. “In August 1949, I went to the Sikh Regimental Centre, which was in Ambala, and made it to the Sikh Regiment on sports quota, since I used to play hockey really well,” he recalled. “I was commissioned into the 1 Sikh Regiment as a jawan, but later I was transferred to the 7 Sikh Regiment.” He spent most of his military service with the Sikh Regiment hockey team, first as a player and later as coach-cum-manager. He also saw action in the India-Pakistan war of 1965.

Subedar Singh took premature retirement from the Army in 1969 to look after his wife, who was suffering from brain tumour. She passed away the same year. Three years later, he took over as the chief coach at the National Stadium in New Delhi. Before his stint with the national team, he also coached the junior national team.

The Tribune

Obituary: Christopher Todd


Chris Todd

It is with great sadness that England Hockey has learnt of the passing of Vice President and former international umpire Christopher Todd.

Christopher passed away on the morning of Thursday 16 August with his family at his side and will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with them at this time.

Christopher carried out his role as England Hockey Vice President with immense pride and was also Vice President of the Army Hockey Association, a life member of both North HUA and North HA and the first ever Patron of North West HUA.

As an umpire Christopher was appointed to six World Cups (a British record) starting with the 1975 event in Malaysia and finishing with the 1994 World Cup in Australia, two Olympic Games and three European Nations Championships.

He was the first British umpire to officiate in the USSR which was in August 1976 as well as being the neutral European umpire at the Pan-American Games in Cuba in August 1991.

Overall Christopher umpired 110 internationals, receiving the FIH Golden Whistle upon umpiring his 100th international at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Christopher was on the inaugural panel of umpires for the English National League when it started in 1988 and, although he did not umpire under the auspices of NPUA, having retired from umpiring by the time the Association was formed in 2004, he served with great diligence as a selector, assessor, coach and mentor over several years.

Many umpires around the country, but especially those who operated in the North - whose corner Christopher was always willing to fight - appreciated his informed, wise and kindly words.

In 2017 Christopher produced and printed a voluminous guide on “Hockey Umpiring Top Tips”, which gathered together much of his learning over the years and which he was proud to distribute to umpiring friends and colleagues.

Christopher was a chemistry teacher at Calday Grange Grammar School where he was also Master in Charge of Hockey. He coached here for over 40 seasons with the team winning three national U18 Schools titles; amongst the players he developed was GB and England coach and player Bobby Crutchley.

He drove school hockey within the Wirral and was ever-present at county, regional and national school and club events, organising the Boys Schools Hockey Championships in the North for over 20 years.

England Hockey will post details of funeral arrangements when they are known.

England Hockey Board Media release